Various technologies have been used to try to display the appearance of a three dimensional (3D) object using a two dimensional (2D) display. For example, a 2D display, such as a typical LCD or CRT computer display, can simulate a three dimensional object (e.g., using perspective and other 3D computer graphics techniques). However, these simulated 3D images (using 2D displays) do not truly display depth (e.g., amplitude is displayed, but not phase).
While existing technology can be used to create holographic 3D images, such existing technology is often inappropriate for consumer-level applications. For example, a device for displaying holographic three dimensional images can be constructed using conventional optical elements, but such a device will be heavy and will have alignment and packaging issues. Other holographic technology, such as the conventional technique for 3D display using stereoscopic display systems, causes distortion in the scale of an image with changes in viewing distance. Furthermore, other methods using real-time holography, or by producing a different image for right and left eye, will use substantial communication bandwidth.
Therefore, there exists ample opportunity for improvement in technologies related to displaying holographic three dimensional images.